Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, the Outer senshi, or the Daimon. All I own is the plot and whatever OCs I make up along the way.

Heaven Was Needing a Hero

“I guess heaven was needing a hero

Somebody just like you

Brave enough to stand up for what you believe

And follow it through

When I try to make it make sense in my mind

The only conclusion I come to

Is that heaven was needing a hero

Like you.”

-Jo Dee Messina

Chapter 1: Storm Rising

Flowers.

They stretched on and on as far as Kaioh Michiru could see, and she saw no end to them—indeed, the flowers seemed to go into the horizon and vanish. They were white, almost as though she was standing in a field of snow, and they grew so tall that she knew that if she laid in them she wouldn’t see the sky. Never before had she seen flowers like this, and she doubted she’d ever see them again.

Loose petals drifted through the air like snowflakes, soft to the touch and only barely grazing her skin. She stood awkwardly in the field, feeling out of place and not sure why she was even here to begin with.

Some part of her knew this was a dream—she’d had the same dream, over and over again, for nearly a week. Knowing this did nothing to lessen her confusion. This wasn’t like before, when she’d had dreams about Haruka and Sailor Uranus.

No. This was definitely different.

“Ah.” The soft voice made her turn and look down. “You’re here again, eh?”

And there, laying on her back in the flowers, one arm tucked behind her head and her other hand casually twirling a white flower between her fingers, was the source of Michiru’s confusion: a slim brunette, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail and her emerald green eyes sparkling with amusement at the sight of her dreamtime companion. Michiru sometimes imagined that if she ever stood up, she’d actually be tall.

The aqua-haired girl had had enough; she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, it’s me again,” she hissed. “I’ve been here so many times, I should know your name by now.”

“Hate to disappoint you.” The brunette moved her shoulders in a shrug and sat up, letting the white flower fall from her fingers. “I’d love to tell you my name, but I don’t know yours either. Besides, you aren’t meant to know yet.”

Michiru could have screamed. “And why not?”

“How should I know? It’s just the way things are. C’mon, you never told Haruka your name when she saw you in her dreams.”

A chill raced down Michiru’s spine and she stiffened. She’d never mentioned Haruka to the brunette sitting before her, and she’d never told her about appearing in her dreams as Sailor Neptune. She frowned. The only way this girl could know about that was if she was somehow connected to their mission. “I was never required to tell Haruka anything about me. I knew I’d meet her.”

“See? Therefore I’m not required to tell you my name. You’ll know it soon enough.”

“Does that mean we’ll meet you soon?”

“Take it however you want it.” The brunette plucked up another flower, brought it to her nose. “I can’t promise I’ll recognize you, though, pretty as you are.”

Oh, hell. Was she actually blushing? From a compliment given to her by a girl she only knew in her dreams?

Yeah. Yeah, she was definitely losing it.

“Are you a threat to our mission?” The harshness in Michiru’s voice was partly to cover up her blush, though she’d never admit it. “Or do you intend to join us?”

A soft laugh escaped her companion, and once again the brunette dropped the flower and fell onto her back, putting her hands behind her head as she tilted her head to look at Michiru, eyes glowing.

“Well, that’s up to you. Whether or not you and your friend want to have a softie like me tag along. So you decide.” She smiled and closed her eyes. “Am I a threat or a friend? Can I hurt you or help you?” She opened her eyes and looked up at Michiru again, and this time her smile was small and perhaps just a little sad.

“Meet me first. Once you do, then you can decide what I am to you.”

“Michiru. Hey, Michi. Wake up. We’re stopping for a rest.”

Michiru jerked away with a jolt, her mind catapulting out of sleep right into sharp awareness as Haruka gently shook her. She blinked groggily for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the brightness of the afternoon sun.

And as her eyes adjusted, the pain hit her full on.

The senshi of the sea would go to her grave denying that the sound she’d made resembled a girlish scream.

“Ow!”

“Ah, sorry.” Haruka winced, quickly slipping out of the car and out of Michiru’s reach; whenever the aqua-haired girl woke it was hard to say what mood she was in, and the senshi of the wind wasn’t in any mood for punishment. “You shouldn’t have opened your eyes so quickly.”

“Eyes? What eyes? They’ve been burned to cinders.”

“I don’t even know why I apologized. It’s your own fault. You’re always like this when you wake up.”

“Bite me.”

With a groan Michiru dropped her face into her hands for a few minutes as the ache throbbed through her temples, seeped sneakily down her neck and spread through her shoulders. She should have expected this, really; it was always the same after having that dream. Slowly she looked up again, squinting. “Sorry, Haruka.”

“No worries. Had that dream again, huh?”

Trust Haruka to immediately pick up on the difference between a regular, “I-just-feel-like-taking-a-nap-as-we-drive” dream and a senshi-related, “This-person-could-help-us-find-the-talismans” dream. “Uh huh. That dream again.” She sighed and opened the car door, stepping out, suddenly eager to walk and stretch her legs for a few minutes. “No matter how many times I have it, I can’t figure it out.”

“She didn’t say anything?”

“Nothing she hasn’t told me before. She won’t tell me her name or if she even has anything to do with our mission.”

“Hate to say this, Michi, but if you’re dreaming about her like this then she has something to do with our mission.”

“I know… I know.”

And that bothered her more than anything, Michiru mused as she started to walk down the sidewalk, only partially aware of Haruka’s presence at her side. She didn’t know how she felt about the knowledge that a third person would be joining them soon, as an enemy or an ally. If it was an enemy, well, that was easy—she and Haruka would just fight that person as Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus and be done with it. If it was an ally, though…

She was jostled briefly as Haruka left her side, their shoulders bumping together as she started to cross the street, calling a brief “Do you want a snack?” over her shoulder as she went. Michiru felt her lips twitch as the tomboy darted away—trust Haruka to try and make her feel better about a dream.

And then she heard the screech of tires, the blare of a horn.

“Haruka!”

Even as she began to reach for the other girl she saw someone else, faster and stronger than she was out of the corner of her eye, a blur of cream and dark brown; the next instant Haruka was jerked back and the stranger stumbled back, thrown off balance by the momentum of pulling the other girl back. They tumbled into the grass with a dull, muffled thud and a yelp from Haruka’s savior.

“Mako-chan!”

A brown-haired boy with clear blue eyes came stumbling to a halt over the tangled pair, and as Michiru watched the girl who had saved Haruka’s life carefully wriggled out from beneath the sandy-haired tomboy, her face twisted in a grimace and a hand at her side.

Her eyes were the color of emeralds, her dark brown hair pulled back in a long ponytail.

Michiru felt the blood drain out of her face as she recognized the girl from her dream.

“You have a nasty shoulder,” the brunette commented with a wince. “I think you got my ribs… you okay?” She shifted slightly and carefully sat up as Haruka mumbled incoherently, still crumbled against the tall girl like a paper doll. The tall girl looked up at Michiru. “Is she with you?”

“Yeah.” Remembering Haruka, forgetting her dream for a moment, Michiru got down on her knees next to the wind senshi’s savior. “Haruka? Hey.” She touched the track star’s shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“Shut up.” Haruka’s voice was muffled, but her voice contained humor. “It’s not every day I get held by a beautiful woman.”

Michiru rolled her eyes and grabbed Haruka by the back of her collar, easily pulling the tomboy off the flustered brunette that had turned, she deemed, about fifty different shades of red. “I apologize for her. She’s a flirt. She can’t help it—wait.” Her mind backtracked. “You called Haruka a she.”

“Huh? Oh. Uh.” The brunette’s blush deepened, if it was possible. “I take it most girls assume she’s a he? Well, when I grabbed her I kinda... um, yeah, so I figured she was a girl.”

The poor girl was babbling now, and Michiru felt herself being charmed. The boy looked at the pair nervously for a moment before squatting next to her. “Mako-chan? Are you all right?” he asked softly. “You said something about your ribs.” His hand went to her side, lingered where she’d touched.

“Yeah.” Her eyes softened slightly as she looked at her companion. “But it’s nothing, Shinozaki-kun, honest. She just caught me by surprise. Knocked the breath out of me, is all.”

The lapse in the brunette’s concentration gave Michiru a moment to survey her. A few curly strands of dark brown hair had worked free from the girl’s ponytail, falling across her face and giving her a wild, almost untamable look despite the gentleness of her gaze. A pair of rose earrings flashed brilliantly in her ears, gleaming in the sunlight. The cream and brown uniform she wore didn’t give Michiru a good look at her skin, but she easily saw the ripple of muscle as the girl moved.

She felt it, too. That tingle, that warm jolt of awareness that rushed down from her brain to her belly, a strange mixture of nerves and calm. Her mind practically screamed out, There you are! Finally!

Haruka snapping her fingers in her face jerked the aqua-haired girl back to reality. “Sorry about that,” the racer said sheepishly. “Michi tends to zone out from time to time. I can never figure out where she goes.” Michiru slanted a narrow-eyed look at the sandy-haired tomboy, but the boy—Shinozaki, that was what the girl had called him—smiled in understanding camaraderie. “I know what you mean. Mako-chan does the exact same thing now and then.” The brunette scowled and elbowed him, but he ignored him. “I don’t know where she goes, either.”

“Somewhere far, far away from you.” The brunette elbowed him again, but her lips quirked as she turned to look at Haruka and Michiru. “I’m Kino Makoto. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand.

Always willing to oblige, Haruka returned the gesture first; and as their palms touched her eyes narrowed, and Michiru saw a subtle ripple run down the wind senshi’s spine, but she smiled charmingly. “Tenoh Haruka. I always enjoy talking to beautiful women.” Makoto flushed again, ducking her head away shyly and making Haruka chuckle. Sighing, Michiru gently flicked her behind the ear in the hopes of getting her to back off from her teasing of the flustered brunette. She smiled and took Makoto’s hand. “And I’m Kaioh Michiru.”

She felt it then; that little electric jolt that danced from Makoto’s fingertips into her skin, shooting up her arm and into her chest where it bounced around like a ball. Her eyes flickered to Haruka’s for a heartbeat, and she dipped her head in a quick, subtle nod.

“Mako-chan, come on. My parents are going to get worried.”

Shinozaki’s voice shattered the moment, and Makoto slid her hand out of Michiru’s. Michiru felt a brief stab of disappointment—Makoto’s hand had been warm and strong, not rough, but there had been no mistaking her strength. It had felt nice. “It was nice meeting you both,” Makoto said, smiling. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”

She darted away after Shinozaki, who had started to walk, not content with waiting for his friend to start moving on her own. For a moment Michiru frowned in torn hesitation, knowing she had to somehow alert Makoto to her presence, to her dream, but didn’t know how to do so without rousing suspicion from Shinozaki and without being considered a lunatic. Doing so with Haruka had been easier; that had been a one-on-one situation, and Michiru knew how to handle those situations. But this…

Well, it was now or never.

“Makoto-san!” Michiru’s call made the brunette pause and look back; confusion shone clearly in her eyes, but her lips curved in an easy smile. “Just Mako-chan,” she called back. “Everyone calls me Mako-chan.”

“Mako-chan.” Michiru made the switch effortlessly. “Do you like flowers?”

Her eyes widened for a moment, then slowly narrowed. “Flowers?”

“Yes. Flowers. More specifically, white flowers, like in a field? Tall white flowers, so tall you can’t see the sky? Flowers that look like snow?”

For a moment Makoto’s face went blank as her lips curved down in a frown at Michiru’s question; she scowled and shook her head, turning away.

“Sorry. Don’t know what you’re talking about.” She waved her hand as she ran to catch up with Shinozaki. “If I remember, I’ll get back to you.”

“Smooth, Michiru. Really smooth.”

“Shut up, Haruka.”

“Hey, I’m just saying…”

Michiru scowled and ended the conversation by slamming her foot down on Haruka’s—hard. The wind senshi let out a choked whimpering sound as the pain shot up from her toes through her leg, and it took all of her self control not to crumble to her knees right then and there. Secretly pleased with herself Michiru kept walking, following the path that wound its way through the small park she and Haruka were strolling through to stretch their legs before they went back on the road.

“That was cruel,” Haruka groaned, keeping pace with Michiru and grimacing at the slight limp now present in her gait. “You’re so cruel to me sometimes.”

“Yes, well, sometimes you deserve it.”

“Ah, but you love me.”

The senshi of the sea rolled her eyes, but a small smile curved her lips. “Maybe I kind of like you,” she conceded, willing to play along with the wind senshi’s flirting for the time being. It was a nice break from everything sometimes.

“So.” The subtle shift in Haruka’s tone alerted Michiru to the fact that they were beginning a discussion based on their senshi duties and their search for the talismans. “That was her, right? The girl from your dream?”

“Yes.” Michiru sighed. “Either that or a girl who looks remarkably similar to her, but I doubt it. Her whole demeanor changed when I mentioned the flowers, so it might mean she’s been having the same dream as me but doesn’t understand it, which is odd. Whenever I’ve talked to her in my dream she seems as though she knows more than she’s letting on.”

“Maybe it’s not really her,” Haruka suggested. “Maybe you’re dreaming of her other self or alter ego. Or maybe the situation is reversed. Maybe in her dreams, you act like the one who knows what’s going to happen and she’s completely clueless.”

“Maybe. But that’s not the problem right now.” Michiru frowned. “In my dream, she never specified if she would be a friend or a foe. Meeting her, she doesn’t seem evil, but she doesn’t seem… helpful, either. She just seems like an innocent civilian.”

“… You… can’t judge a book by its cover? Hell, I don’t know.”

The frustration in Haruka’s voice made Michiru take her hand and quietly lace their fingers together, a wordless way of soothing the sandy-haired young woman. They continued walking in silence for a few moments, the park completely deserted at this point as the sun began to sink below the horizon and paint the sky in different hues of orange and red.

The breeze started to pick up at that moment, gliding lazily through the twisting blades of grass and the rustling leaves, dancing playfully through the air and tugging at strands of Haruka and Michiru’s hair. The wind was cool and gentle, but Michiru felt Haruka’s grip on her hand tighten and got the warning signal.

Because the wind carried with it a heavy, dark sense of forbidding.

Michiru was thankful that the park was empty.

“Neptune planet power, make-up!”

“Uranus planet power, make-up!”

The transformations were quick; they always were. When the water faded away and the wind died down, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus stood in the places where Michiru and Haruka had been. The ragged, deep breathing of something that didn’t sound remotely human alerted them to the presence of their enemy. They turned as one.

Neptune felt her stomach drop to her feet even as she saw Uranus’s eyes widen.

The creature lurking in the shadows, its eyes gleaming a dangerous shade of red, could only be described as a monster—and Neptune had seen many monsters, more then Uranus had seen at this The monster was huge, easily as tall as the tree it used as cover. Two long fangs curved down from its top lip, a twisted version of a unicorn horn jabbing up from its head. Long purple hair fell in a ragged mane down its neck to rest against dark green skin. Its muscular upper torso resembled that of a human man, where its lower torso gave way to a long snake tail.

“That… is one ugly son of a bitch,” Uranus whispered.

Despite everything, Neptune managed to laugh in weak agreement before the creature surged toward them in a blur of movement.

In the quiet evening air, the sound of running feet and ragged breathing contrasted as sharply as black against white. Kino Makoto wasn’t a track runner and never intended to be one, but she figured the speed she was running at the moment broke a few school records.

Panting for breath, her lungs screeching in agony, Makoto skidded to a halt and nearly fell, waving her arms wildly to keep her balance. She resisted the urge to kneel and catch her breath, instead narrowing her eyes even as they stung from sweat. She swept her gaze over the park, but she saw nothing to explain her mad dash from Shinozaki’s house back here where she had met the two girls.

But I felt it! I definitely did! She blew out a long breath and gritted her teeth in frustration. What I’ve been feeling for a week whenever I come here… a feeling of evil! It’s here. It’s got to be. She grimaced, pounding a fist against her uncooperative knees before running again. I just have to find it.

Makoto knew she had to find the source of her feeling—and somehow stop it. As long as it existed, people could get hurt.

People could die.

Like Mom and Dad did.

The brunette swore hotly as her mind swung back to the memories of her parents, running a hand through her hair. Don’t think about it, she ordered herself. Stop thinking about it. Her parents were dead and gone; nothing she could do now would change it. What had happened to them had been out of her control. However, this was not out of her control. Whatever was going to happen here in the park, she could shift the odds. She could fight. And maybe, just maybe, she could save someone.

The muffled scream snapped Makoto out of her trance, and she immediately swerved sharply, running to the sound, cutting through the grass straight towards it like a homing pigeon.

She didn’t exactly know what she could do once she found the source of her feeling, but she’d think about that later.

Please, just don’t let me be too late.

Later on, Neptune would always remember the odd feeling of déjà vu that swept over her during the fight, the feeling inside her that something or someone was coming. The fight wasn’t the worst they’d had, but it could have been going better; the creature’s tail had caught Uranus in the stomach and slammed her into one of the nearby trees, effectively knowing the wind out of the track star and putting her out of commission for a few minutes at most.

“Uranus!”

Even before she could think about going to her companion’s aide, she felt her back scratch the rough bark of a tree and realized, with a sinking feeling in her chest, that the monster had taken the opportunity to corner her. She narrowed her eyes as the creature reared over her and prepared to use her attack. The creature bared its teeth and opened its mouth, beginning to breathe in deeply.

That was when Neptune saw a blur of cream and dark brown out of the corner of her eye.

Then she saw red.

As Makoto dove between the monster and the young woman that bore an eerie resemblance to Kaioh Michiru she jerked her arm up, partly to protect her face and partly as extra protection, something else the creature would have to go through to reach the girl behind her. Brilliant pain exploded in her arm, spread throughout and raced through her body like sharp knives stabbing into her skin, and colors swam in her vision. Grimacing, narrowing her eyes, she slowly lowered her arm.

Blood dripped from a cut on her arm, the clothe torn clean apart by the sharpness of the exhaled breath of the beast; almost as if it had been cut apart by sharp, tiny knives. A choked “Mako-chan?” from behind made her twitch, but she didn’t dare look away from the creature, knowing that if she did it would take advantage of her lapse.

The creature’s lips curled back in a grin, its long teeth bared; it began to inhale again.

Makoto’s eyes widened; she reacted without thinking. Pivoting on her heel her arms locked around the aqua-haired girl with iron force, pinning the smaller figure between her own taller body and the tree. She heard the whistle as the creature exhaled and she closed her eyes, bracing herself.

It was like being stabbed from behind by numerous knives, too many to count; the pain was incredible. The force of the blast ripped the back of her uniform to shreds, and the sharp wind slashed merrily against her skin, sending splatters of blood to the grass and into the air. Makoto gagged and choked, gritting her teeth to keep the screams from rising. She buried her face into the smaller girl’s neck.

Shock had made Sailor Neptune limp in Makoto’s arms; in a flash, at the ragged whimpers from the taller girl, her senses returned and she braced her hands on the brunette’s chest, trying to push the girl away from her, away from harm.

But Makoto would not be moved.

“No… no! What are you doing?!” Desperate to get the stubborn girl out of harm’s way Neptune gave another hard shove, but she might as well been pushing a brick wall. “Let go of me! I’ll be okay, I swear, just let go! Please… you’re getting all bloody!” Desperation made the sea senshi’s voice frantic, almost near tears as Makoto refused to escape. “MAKO-CHAN, PLEASE!!”

“… Would you… just shut… up…”

Makoto’s voice was tight and rough with pain, her whole body shaking with the blows that fell upon her. Not willing to follow orders Neptune shoved against her again, nearly weeping with frustration when the brunette stood firm. “Mako-chan!” she pleaded.

“Come… on.” Neptune felt rather than saw the smile, felt it curve against the skin of her neck. “I’ve… had much worse… this is… nothing.” Makoto inhaled sharply, shuddered.

“World Shaking!!”

The blast from Uranus’s attack abruptly ceased the monster’s attacks, slamming into the beast from behind and crushing it to the grass with a roar of protest. Makoto crumbled, sagging against Neptune as her strength failed her; the aqua-haired girl gathered her close, carefully lowering the bloody girl to the grass. She brushed loose strands of hair out of dazed green eyes, immensely relieved when a light came to life in Makoto’s eyes. “Hey…”

“Just stay here, Mako-chan.” Neptune willed her voice not to shake. “Stay here and rest awhile.”

She left the girl there in the shade of the tree, praying that if Makoto was as half as strong as she seemed, she’d recover quickly.

“Deep Submerge!”

Why…?

Trembling, Makoto slowly sat up, resting her palms against the grass as the breath heaved from her lungs. She wanted desperately to lean back against the tree for support, but she didn’t think her bloodied back could handle the bark. With narrow eyes she watched the two warriors fight, beating the creature down to only have it rise again.

Why… does this always happen…?

Her fingers curled, clenching into fists.

Why can I never protect anyone?!

A gleam of dark green caught her eye, darker green than the grass; she turned her head and stared dumbly at the pen that lay tauntingly a few inches from her fingers, giving off a warm glow. She blinked. “Where did that come from?” she whispered.

“Do you want to protect them?”

The voice sounded softly in her head, carefully guarded with a neutral tone; Makoto sat up straighter, ignoring the flashes of light that exploded in her head at the movement, her eyes still focused on the pen. When she didn’t answer right away, the voice persisted, repeating its question again: “Do you want to protect them?”

“… Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! Can you help me?” Makoto’s fingers wrapped around the pen, her tone desperate. “Can you help me protect them? Help me fight with them?”

“If that is what you wish. Lift that pen into the air, and repeat what I say. Once you have changed, everything will come naturally.”

Makoto swallowed and nodded, her eyes dark; she lifted the pen into the air.

“Jupiter planet power, make-up!”

There was a brilliant flash of green light that blinded Uranus and Neptune, a blast of warmth and a surge of pure electricity dancing through the air; both senshi lifted their arms to shield their eyes, and Neptune squinted as Uranus coughed against the smoke and dust.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the Sailor senshi standing before them, her back covered by her uniform and her green eyes determined. “Mako-chan?” she whispered.

“No way…” Uranus gaped, her mouth hanging open slightly.

The symbol of Jupiter flared to life briefly on Makoto’s forehead before fading away to be replaced by the customary headband that Neptune and Uranus both wore; the newly awakened Sailor Jupiter was shaking still, the back of her uniform beginning to darken from blood, but she stood tall. Looking past the monster at Uranus and Neptune, she smiled weakly.

“Fight with me?”

Her voice was soft, but her eyes were sure; Neptune and Uranus exchanged quiet looks before turning back to her, nodding in a wordless way of showing their acceptance. With a snarl the beast rounded on Jupiter, its tail whipping through the grass toward the senshi of thunder.

“No you don’t,” Uranus muttered, lifting a hand into the air. “World Shaking!” The orange ball of energy smashed into the creature’s back like a sledgehammer, knocking it to the grass with a muffled howl of protest. Neptune wasn’t going to let it go that easily, following up her partner with a furious shout of “Deep Submerge!” and successfully keeping the monster out of commission.

And then it was Jupiter’s turn.

Lifting her arms made her shoulders screech in agony, sending new jolts of pain throughout her back, but the senshi of thunder gritted her teeth, crossing her hands at the wrists. The words flowed out of her mouth naturally, without a second thought. “My guardian, Jupiter,” she whispered, pain making her voice soft, but an edge of steel within. “Brew a storm! Call the clouds! Bring down the lightning!” A rod extended from her green stone, dark storm clouds gathering around the place she stood. Blue static electricity danced down through the air, twisting around her rod. Sailor Jupiter narrowed her eyes, lifting her voice to a shout.

“Supreme Thunder!!”

The electricity, bright blue in color, shot out from the rod and slashed through the monster; the three attacks in succession finally did the monster in; it crashed into the grass with a roar. Something dark gray in color seeped out of the creature’s chest and dissolved into smoke. Crumbled in the grass in its place was a human boy.

Dazed, feeling woozy from blood loss, Sailor Jupiter sank to her knees. “It… that thing was… human…?” The light in her eyes faded as the last of her strength abandoned her. With an oath Uranus surged forward, catching Jupiter before she fell. The senshi of the wind gave the limp girl a quick shake, scowling as Neptune walked to her side and knelt next to her. “Dammit, the kid’s out like a light.”

For a moment Neptune said nothing, gently brushing Jupiter’s cheek with her fingers; she swallowed and narrowed her eyes. “We need to clean her up and get her bandaged before she bleeds to death,” the aqua-haired girl murmured. Saying nothing, Uranus swept the unconscious Jupiter into her arms.

“Whatever you say, Michi.”

The first thing Makoto gradually became aware of as she drifted out of inky blackness was the sound of something crashing around, as if someone was looking for something but making way too much noise trying to find it. A cool hand was stroking her forehead, occasionally brushing her hair with long, slender fingers that soothed the tall brunette.

As her senses slowly returned, the pain hit her.

“Holy fucking CRAP!!”

Even as she instinctively surged up and forward, a pair of surprisingly strong hands gripped her shoulders and held her firmly in place, pushing her back down with little resistance as her muscles turned to jelly and pain dulled her reflexes. She squinted, blinked. “Michiru-san?”

“Relax, Mako-chan. Haruka’s getting the first aid kit. If you move like that again you’ll start bleeding.”

Licking her dry lips Makoto nodded, but old pride still had her struggling up into a sitting position—slowly. She didn’t want to bleed anymore than she already had. Still a little dazed, she looked around the room; it was small, with only two beds, a dresser, and a single window. “Where are we?”

“Cheap motel.” Haruka strolled out of the bathroom, a first aid kit in hand and a fighting gleam in her eyes. Makoto had the feeling that if she said even one wrong word, the sandy-haired wind warrior would peel the skin off her body. “Not the best, but it doesn’t ask questions.” She sat on Makoto’s other side, setting the kit down. “We need to take your shirt off, Thunderbolt. It’s a lost cause anyway.”

Makoto lifted a brow at Haruka’s nickname for her; her lips twitched. “My my, moving fast aren’t we? We haven’t even been on a date.”

The senshi of Uranus bristled. “Listen, you—“

“Haruka.” Michiru’s soft tone cut her off.

“Sorry, Whirlwind.” Makoto used the name carelessly and without a thought, missing the flicker of surprise in Haruka’s eyes. “I needed to prove to myself I can still make a good joke. Hold on.”

Lifting her arms still made her shoulders scream in objection, but Makoto ignored the pain and pulled her shirt off in one quick motion, gritting her teeth against the rising scream as clothe brushed against bruised, broken flesh. Dead silence hung over the room, broken only by Haruka’s low whistle. “Thunderbolt,” the track star murmured as she clicked the kit open and reached for bandages, “you’re gonna have some nasty scars once these cuts heal.”

“Will they be sexy nasty or just nasty?”

Haruka snorted quietly but didn’t reply, focusing instead on soothing the angry gashes all along Makoto’s back. The highest ones were on her shoulders; the lowest went to her waist. Looking at them made Michiru’s eyes sting, but she forced herself to keep looking. Blindly she reached for Makoto’s hand, gripping it tightly even as the brunette looked at her in confusion. “Michiru-san? What’s—“

Her question was warped into a vicious howl of pain; Michiru winced and held the girl’s hand in her own, draping her free arm along Makoto’s neck and pulling the girl’s head down so her face was against her neck, fighting tears. “I’m sorry, Mako-chan,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s for your own good, if it’s any comfort.” Haruka’s hands still trembled regardless, even as she bandaged the worst of Makoto’s wounds.

The worst of the pain faded away, but strangled whimpers still escaped Makoto from time to time as Haruka tended to her wounds. Her muscles clenched and unclenched in a wild rhythm, and she gripped Michiru’s hand so tightly it was a miracle her fingers didn’t break. Her breathing was ragged, but otherwise even and steady.

“So… am I supposed to fight with you guys now?”

Makoto’s voice was harsh and thick from pain, but her eyes were alert when she looked at Michiru; the aqua-haired girl swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and nodded. “You are a Sailor senshi, defender of justice,” she said at last. “Just like Haruka and I.”

The brunette snorted softly at Michiru’s description of her newfound duty and powers, looking away. “Defender of justice, eh?” she whispered. “Is that what you call it when you’re willing to kill someone?”

“Sacrifices have to be made.” Haruka’s voice was tight, but sure as she continued tending to Makoto’s wounds. “That also comes with being a senshi, like it or not Thunderbolt. Something’s coming, something big, and it will destroy the world if we don’t defeat it first.”

“So a few lives for the whole world, huh?”

The senshi of the wind scowled but ended the conversation there by applying a bandage with a little more force than necessary; Makoto hissed and grimaced in pain, and Michiru shot Haruka a dirty look over the brunette’s shoulder. “I know you don’t like it, but that’s the way things are,” the senshi of the sea murmured into the taller girl’s ear. Makoto grumbled quietly but fell silent, resting her forehead tiredly against Michiru’s neck and closing her eyes.

For a moment, a sort of calm settled.

“You have to come with us now.” Haruka’s voice was soft, as if she was unwilling to break the spell. “Can you do that quickly?”

“My parents are dead.” Makoto shuddered as pain shot through her back, tightened her fingers briefly around Michiru’s hand before relaxing. “I’ve been living with Shinozaki-kun and his family, but they know I’m looking for a place of my own. So yeah, I can leave.”

“Good. And hey, Thunderbolt…”

Haruka finished applying the last bandage and, in a quick moment of kindness, rested her hand on Makoto’s shoulder and gave a light squeeze.

“… Welcome to the team.”

This is the first chapter to my (probably long) "Makoto as an Outer" AU fic. Yes, I know I should be updating Requiem. I'm working on it, I swear.

At the moment, I'm debating whether or not I should have one more chapter focused on just Michiru, Haruka, and Makoto or if I should start right at them arriving in Juuban. Opinions are welcome on this.

Read and review, please!